Ghost Ship (The Wind Waker)

The Ghost Ship is a location that appears in The Wind Waker. It is a haunted ship said to be filled with treasure. Although it is difficult to find and enter, Link must track it down to find a Triforce Shard.

Overview

The Ghost Ship is a mysterious, intangible ship that sails around the Great Sea. It only appears at night on different islands with every phase of the moon. In order to board the Ghost Ship, Link is required to retrieve the Ghost Ship Chart from Diamond Steppe Island, an island in sector A6. The chart can also show which island Ghost Ship is currently haunting. If Link attempts to board the ship without the chart in hand, it merely disappears when he comes near it.[1]

The interior of the Ghost Ship is very similar to that of Tetra's Pirate Ship. However, its hull is destroyed in many places, allowing a small beam of light to enter, which Link can reflect using his Mirror Shield. In the HD version, the floor is also covered with a strange mist with ghostly faces in it. There are two rows of skulls along the sides of the room, and two Poes hovering near them. A Wizzrobe is also present, which will summon other enemies to fight Link until it is defeated. After all of the enemies on the ship are slain, a ladder drops down, allowing Link to access the back room of the ship. Inside is a treasure chest that contains either a Triforce Chart in the GameCube version or a Triforce Shard in the HD remake. After he opens the chest, an eerie laugh sounds through the ship, and Link wakes up on King of Red Lions the next morning. The Ghost Ship no longer appears on the Great Sea after this.

The Ghost Ship has quite the reputation around the Great Sea. The Fishmen often offer the hero warnings that it is a terrifying sight.[2][3][4]Lenzo, a photographer on Windfall Island, possesses a picture of the evasive Ghost Ship.[5] He informs Link that the man who followed the ship in order to write out the Ghost Ship Chart died mysteriously shortly after.[6]

References

↑ "Oh, I've got some great information, small fry! Lucky you! If you use the treasure that's hidden on that island there, the thing that vanishes as soon as you get near it... It won't vanish anymore! You know...IT! I'm talking about IT! That thing that appears on nights when a wee bit of the right half of the moon is missing! Don't you know what I'm talking about?! IT!" — Fishman, The Wind Waker.

↑ "I wouldn't sail through these seas on nights when the left half of the moon is missing... You'll regret it if you do, fry! I'm warning you! It's not my fault if you get so scared that you can't go to the bathroom at night anymore!" — Fishman, The Wind Waker.

↑ "You ought to come sail these seas on nights when the right half of the moon is missing... It'll give you shivers, fry!" — Fishman, The Wind Waker.

↑ "Have you seen it, small fry? ...The Ghost Ship? `Cause it's real. It's even been seen here, in these very waters... On nights when the crescent moon faces down... That's when horror rises..." — Fishman, The Wind Waker.

↑ "One ill-fated day, misfortune befell me and my boat was destroyed. Clinging to the wreckage, I drifted at the whims of the waves... That's when I saw this monstrosity. This foul ship, veiled in mist and fading in and out of sight like something of another world... Yes, my young sir... 'Tis none other than the Ghost Ship!" — Lenzo, The Wind Waker.

↑ "The rumors I've heard tell of a man who researched the reaches of the sea where the Ghost Ship faded in and out of sight, and that he drew a map of its movements. But it is said that as soon as the man had finished drawing the lines of that cursed map...he died a most unexpected death. ...Chilling! Truly chilling! Now, if one were able to find that map... then it might be possible to sneak onto the Ghost Ship and get the treasure that is said to lurk within its hull!" — Lenzo, The Wind Waker.